MATC helps communications manager keep pace with changing tech

October 18, 2016

Marcie Montague loves Netflix.

But the senior communications manager is putting off any binge-watching sessions for now, instead spending time learning. Montague is a second-year student in the online UNC Master of Arts in Technology and Communication program. In a recent Linkedin blog post, she credits her studies—and her classmates—with helping her keep up with the pace of technological change.

Montague, who works in the Executive and Sales Communications department at SAS, savors the opportunity to work with the other students in her cohort. The group of 18 working communicators is progressing through the 2.5-year MATC program together, taking the same classes and building a professional network. She says of the group, “We want to drive that change rather than be a casualty of it.”The MATC curriculum and faculty, meanwhile, help Montague explore new perspectives on subjects related to her day-to-day work.

“More than anything, this program allows me to take stock of how technology impacts the world of digital media,” she writes. “It gets me out of my comfort zone, to consider new approaches instead of maintaining the status quo.”

Montague vows to resume Netflix binging, but also to keep learning, after completing her master’s work. Her MATC cohort is on track to complete the program next academic year.

Pictured: Montague's screen is filled with a syllabus and sycnhronous session instead of a favorite movie or series (courtesy Marcie Montague).